Extended Vacation
by winchested
Summary: When the Salvatore brothers decide it would be best to take Elena out of town, Stefan suggests that Damon should do it. How will Elena react to her boyfriend's decision? How close will the two friends become or will they become more?
1. Chapter 1

_**Setting: The Salvatore Residence**_

_**Characters: Damon and Stefan Salvatore**_

_**This takes place after 2x16 of the Vampire Diaries. I do not own any of the characters at all.**_

"You need to take her." Stefan urged his brother, begging him.

Damon Salvatore would never have minded taking Elena Gilbert somewhere on his own under normal circumstances. However, at the time circumstances were far from 'normal.' The first Original vampire was coming into town looking for Elena and most likely wouldn't mind causing a little (lot) trouble to get to her. Stefan believed that it would be best if Elena was got out of Mystic Falls for a while. For her own safety and for the ones she wanted to protect. Damon was all for that but what caught him off guard was when Stefan suggested he take her instead of him.

"You're stronger than I am—you're more capable of keeping her safe." His brother continued.

"Which is exactly why I should stay here. You can't handle fighting Klaus." Damon knew that he wasn't exactly a great match for the strongest vampire alive either, but he truly believed that he might be able to hold him off longer than Stefan could. They needed to do what was best to keep Elena and everyone else safe.

"If I go with her, it'll be too predictable, Damon. You could take her away—anywhere. But don't tell anyone where. Don't tell me where either." If Elijah was able to compel another vampire, he was sure Klaus could do it too. It would be harder for them to be found if no one truly knew where they were. "Klaus will most likely know all of us. He would know you, too but he would expect me to be with Elena. It'll throw him off a little." Stefan explained.

"What if getting thrown off means he'll kill a few people in town? We don't know how this guy works, Stefan." Damon reminded him stubbornly, leaning against the wall.

"Damon, please." Stefan begged, his eyes narrowing. "We need to do everything in our power to keep Elena safe."

That's what it all came down to. That's always what it came down to. Damon would die for her and somehow, Stefan could see that.

There was a long silence with Damon staring back at his brother indecisively.

"Fine." Damon agreed with a sigh, breaking the pause and the tenseness that had come into the room.

"Thank you." Stefan looked relieved.

"I don't think Elena's going to be very happy about this, though." Damon smirked.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Setting: Mystic Falls then air plane**_

_**Characters: Damon Salvatore, Elena Gilbert**_

_**This takes place after 2x16 of the Vampire Diaries. I do not own any of the characters at all.**_

* * *

"_What?"_ Elena thought she had made it clear when she had told the brothers nothing would be kept secret anymore. They would discuss things before actually deciding it. They were supposed to be including her—not talking about her as if her own decision and freedom didn't matter. She looked between them with wide eyes, surprised first then the anger settling in. She narrowed her eyes and furrowed her brows together as she decided who was to blame for this idea.

Damon. Obviously. It had to be Damon. He was much more controlling and Elena expected him to make hash decisions like these. Her dark gaze settled on the elder Salvatore, conjuring up a lecture to give. That's when he raised his hands up in innocence and pointed to Stefan. "It was all him." He promised, glancing at his brother with a quick smirk (surely, Elena wasn't going to be very happy that it was her boyfriend that had come up with this plan).

She did seem slightly more surprised, but her threatening glare returned—only this time at Stefan.

"Elena, we have to keep you safe." Stefan reminded her calmly.

"Oh, yeah? What about everyone else? Why do I get the feeling you keep forgetting about the safety of everyone else?" She responded stubbornly.

"Keeping you here would only cause more problems, actually. It would be safer for everyone if you were out of town." Stefan informed her, folding his arms across his chest.

"That doesn't make any sense. Wouldn't Klaus threaten to kill everyone if you didn't tell him where I was?" Elena asked.

"Not if no one knows where you are." Damon piped in with a grin.

Comprehension flooded Elena's face. They were right—and she hated it because the last thing she wanted to do was leave everyone she loved behind. They were right and she would be selfish for staying.

The vampires remained quiet for the next few moments, letting it sink in to Elena's head.

Finally, she sighed and nodded. "Fine. When are we leaving?" She asked Stefan expectantly. Now that she thought about it, this might not be as bad as she thought. It would kind of be like a vacation. She would be away for who knows how long and she would spend it with Stefan. Actually, this was starting to sound better and better.

The brothers glanced at each other.

"Actually, Elena, you're going to be leaving with Damon." Stefan explained slowly.

Elena blinked. "… What?" Why Damon? Wouldn't it be more reasonable to keep him here where Klaus was going to come…? Actually, nevermind. Damon could get a little violent and impulsive. Maybe it _was _a good idea to keep him away from all that.

Damon could see the surprise on her face and her heartbeat speed up as she looked over at him. He smiled innocently at her.

"Yep. We're going on another trip, Elena. We'll have a blast. Just like last time—promise." He grinned and winked at her.

Stefan looked patient—almost waiting for Elena to start protesting. But she never did. She might not get that vacation with her boyfriend but maybe spending it with her _friend _(she sometimes had to remind herself that he was only her friend) wouldn't be that bad either. Feeling a little more optimistic about it now, she almost gave Damon a small smile except his flirtatious smile and wink only deserved him a frown.

"When?" She sighed.

* * *

"So where are we going?" Elena asked Damon after she had said goodbye to Stefan and the rest of her family. According to Jenna, Damon was taking Elena on a wide range of college visits and well, she was pretty much the only person that they had to make anything up for.

Damon shook his head, "Can't tell you, we don't know if someone's out there listening to our conversation right now." It sounded a little ridiculous, but it was serious. If somehow, word got out about where they were going exactly, that would be the end of the plan.

Elena sighed and sat back against the seat of the taxi cab that would take them to the airport.

Damon had decided where they would go a few days before they had actually gone—it wasn't something completely spontaneous. Actually, he had picked out a few different places since he decided it would be best if they kept moving just in case. Most of the spots required them to be out of country. "Hey, just think of this as a surprise vacation. We'll have a lot of fun." He promised but couldn't help his flirtatious tone.

Elena rolled her eyes and looked out the window to hide the blush on her cheeks.

A few hours later, they were sitting inside the plane that would be taking them to Barcelona, Spain. Elena was surprised and excited—she had never been outside of the country before besides Canada. She wanted to see different cultures and countries. Elena assumed that Damon had already visited many countries though—including Spain. But that was before he began to talk about it. He told her about its beauty and its history and Elena liked seeing this side of him. She liked having a decent conversation with him and she couldn't help but feel more attracted to him as he went on talking about Spain while his eyes sparkled with excitement.

It would be nice to just forget about all of what was going on in her life and just focus on other things around the world. She was able to do that so well the last time she had gone on a road trip with Damon and she was already starting to feel those same effects.

As the hours went by, they grew silent then started up chatter again only to fall silent again to watch movies, listen to music or read. Eventually, Elena fell asleep. Damon was in the middle of reading a book when he felt her lean against him, her head resting on his shoulder.

He paused, setting his book down on his lap to gaze at her beauty. She looked so peaceful – like an angel. Damon smiled softly at her, reaching over with his hand and gently brushing a strand of her dark hair off of her face.

"You two are very cute together." He heard a girl say.

Damon's head snapped up to look at a small, dark haired girl with wild curly hair turned around and looking at them with a smile. She looked about Elena's age—perhaps a year or so younger and she looked like she was middle-eastern.

"Thank you." Damon smiled back at her before looking back at Elena as she stirred.

* * *

**_This one's a little bit longer than the last! Sorry that one was so short but I was getting into things. Please review 3 _**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the next chapter! I'm getting really into it and I really like how their relationship is turning out (: Please review.**

**

* * *

**

"We're here," Damon nudged her gently before smirking, the attitude returning. "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

Elena stirred, moaning before opening her eyes to look at Damon's endless blue eyes. Wait, how was he that close? It was then that she realized that the armrest between them had been lifted and she was curled against him, his arms wrapped around her. Her face began to turn red and Damon's smirk only widened at her realization.

Before she could end up admitting how comfortable she was, she jerked back, reluctantly pulling out of his arms. She nodded, a bit flustered and casually glanced out of the window trying to look occupied—avoiding his hypnotizing stare.

It was dark—was it supposed to be dark? Weren't they supposed have made it during the day? It took her a second to realize that the sky was covered with dark clouds.

"Looks like there's going to be a hell of a storm." Damon murmured over her shoulder.

Great. Elena didn't like the sound of that. She hated storms—she was terrified of them, even. But she couldn't tell Damon that, at least not until she knew it was absolutely necessary to.

Elena turned back and nodded grimly at him. "Doesn't look like we'll be doing anything you planned today."

* * *

Damon hadn't actually planned anything for that very day—they had time in Barcelona and he figured they needed time to find and settle into a hotel. He didn't book a hotel because it would be easier to track them and he didn't really bring along any credit card with him since that would be trackable as well. He had cash. They would have to stop and convert it, but it was more than enough to last them a good amount of time.

When they exited the airport, it had already started raining.

"Are we getting a taxi?" Elena asked, holding on to her carry on—Damon had refused to let her carry anything else and she wasn't surprised at how expertly he pulled the suitcases along.

Damon nodded and waved a taxi over, the driver getting out and helping him with the bags despite his protests. When they were inside the cab, Damon spoke in fluent Spanish as if he was a native. "¿Hay buenos hoteles por aquí?" He asked the driver. _"Are there any good hotels around here?"_ The words fell out of his mouth so perfectly, like velvet and Elena couldn't help but swoon (she didn't realize it, though). Damon glanced her way and smirked and she felt her cheeks redden and she looked away. Spanish had always been a blow off class—it was easy to pass with flying colors as long as you made an effort. She had learned a good amount of Spanish after four years though, so she was able to catch on and guess that Damon had asked the driver about hotels in the immediate area.

"... Sí, pero ¿cómo de fantasía le gustaría que el hotel a ser?" _...Yes, but how fancy would you like the hotel to be?_ And the driver glanced at Elena then at Damon, assuming the two were there as a couple—honeymoon perhaps?

Damon paused, looking between him and Elena, understanding the look in the driver's eyes, slightly amused. "El más elegante." He answered with a smirk, sitting back and wrapping arm around Elena's shoulder. She furrowed her brows at him and began to push him away, giving him a questioning look.

Damon didn't fight it, he just continued to look amused but let her go.

Elena was looking out the window, trying to take in everything she could of Spain but it was hard as the rain began pouring down, making it difficult to see.

She could hear the driver hissing curses in Spanish. Elena looked over at Damon who rolled his eyes. "I think we're going to need to stop here." He muttered.

A few seconds after he had informed her, the taxi driver stopped the car and turned around to face them. "Lo sentimos, pero no puedo conducir en este tiempo." _"Sorry, but I can't drive in this weather." _

Damon nodded. "No, esta bien. Gracias." _"No, it's okay. Thank you."_ He answered, going into his pocket and handing him thirty US dollars which converted to about 21 euros. Elena started to get out of the taxi but Damon stopped her. "Wait until I get all of the luggage, don't need to you to get more pelted than you can be." She nodded and waited as he got out of the cab, took out the suitcases then opened Elena's door.

The second she stepped out, she gasped at how hard the rain was falling, clinging to Damon instinctively. "Where are we going now?" She asked him, refusing to look up and get a face full of rain.

"There's a motel right here, we can stay there until the storm ends." Damon told her, leading them into the rather cheap motel.

He went up to the desk and asked for a bedroom with two beds but apparently, there was only one room open at all and it only contained one king sized bed. It would have to do. Besides, they weren't planning on staying in there very long. After taking the key from her, he compelled her to forget they ever came, make sure that room service never bothered their room number and erase all records of a 'Senor Salvatore' ever being there.

The two of them made their way to the room quietly—just like the taxi ride. But as soon as they stepped inside, Elena frowned.

"Damon…" She said.

"Hmm?" He asked as if there was nothing wrong.

Actually, if you got passed the gray walls, the old, rusty smell and overall depressing look, it wasn't _that _bad.

"Is this all they had?" She asked with a sigh.

"Yep." Damon nodded. "Just deal with it."

A few hours later, they were settled in, sitting on the bed together watching a Spanish soap opera, laughing and giggling through it.

"_Por que, Elena, por que?" _Damon mimicked the man on the screen as she burst out into more laughter.

Then suddenly the lights went out.

Her hand automatically reached out for Damon and she hadn't realized that she her hand had landed on a very awkward place.

"_Whoa, _Elena." He grinned in the dark. "If you wanted me that bad, all you had to do was say the word."

Elena bit her lip and drew her hand back. "That's not funny, Damon. The power just went out."

"So?" He pressed.

"So… that means the storm's getting worse."

"And…?"

"And that's not good, Damon!" She said, frustrated by the entertainment in his tone.

"Come on, Elena, you're not afraid of a little rain, are you?" Damon teased her.

"No." She said stubbornly, glad that it was dark, but still turning away from him after realizing that he had enhanced eye sight. She ignored the chuckles that came from her side.

* * *

It was late at night now and after the jetlag finally set in, Elena decided to go to sleep. She didn't know how she was able to with the storm—she must have been really tired.

Damon had moved to a small couch in the corner of the room, giving Elena the bed.

There was a loud crack outside and a flash of lighting which caused Elena to wake up with a scream, panting and sweaty. She hadn't been only been scared of the storm, but she had a dream about Klaus killing everyone that she loved—leaving Damon for last.

"Damon!" She cried. Before she could take another breath, he was there by her side, cradling her in his arms protectively.

"Shhh…" He whispered as she curled herself into his arms. "Are you okay?"

Elena took a while to reply, her sobbing continuing for a few seconds before slowing down enough for her to answer. "Y-yes, I'm terrified of thunder storms. And I had a nightmare… And Klaus… Klaus was killing everyone and he was making me watch. Oh, _God, _Damon. He was killing everyone and told me that it was all my fault. And then you…" Her voice was shaking. "You… were last. He saved you for last. And he killed you right in front of me. And I wanted to die. I wanted it to stop." She was bordering hysteria.

"Shh, hey, it's alright. I'm right here. I'm alright, Elena. It was just a dream." He assured her gently, kissing her hair and pressing her tighter against him.

"What if that happens? I can't let him kill you, Damon." She whispered.

"It won't." Damon promised.

He remained there, holding her until she fell asleep and that was when he fell asleep too.

Like two lovers locked in an embrace.

* * *

**My apologies if I messed up the translation and the monetary conversion!**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Let me start off with saying how sorry I am. I know you guys hate me for not updating this for like three months. Here come the excuses. First of all, I had started other fics and started working on those and at the same time I had to worry about school so I could only do so much. Then when I did have time I honestly wasn't sure where to go with this. But now school is over and I know exactly where to go with this. I have decided that this story will be mainly fluff and it will be pretty short- probably only a few more chapters. But there will be a sequel that will have more plot and depth to it which I'm really looking forward to. But for now, enjoy the Delena goodness! Again, really sorry about not updating for so long. And while this chapter started off good, I really hated how I ended it. Leave your reviews!**_

* * *

As cliché as it sounded, the first thing Elena felt was the warmth of the sun that shined through the window now. She was far too comfortable—there were strong arms wrapped around her. She felt so safe—so welcome. Elena didn't ever want to leave. But as her eyes slowly fluttered open, she realized who it was that she was sleeping with. Damon. Instead of jumping back (which would have been her first instinct), Elena only snuggled closer. He had comforted her the night before and Elena didn't want to leave from inside his arms.

"Mmm." He moaned softly, shifting a bit and pulling her closer against. Elena gasped, noticing just how lean his muscles felt. She couldn't stop her body from reacting physically to his. Great. She was turned on by Damon Salvatore (again).

Before his eyes were even open, Damon was smirking, clearly sensing her arousal. He, too, wasn't used to being this close to Elena for such a long period of time, but his arousal was a bit easier to hide from her than hers was from him. "Elena." He said huskily, sending shivers down her spine.

"Damon." She answered in a whisper, refusing to look up at him. They both knew what was going on—what could happen next if she looked up at him with her wide eyes but they chose to ignore it.

Slowly and reluctantly, Elena started pulling away, still trying to avoid looking him in the eyes. He was letting her go and she was grateful. She felt too conflicted. Then one glance at his solemn face and she knew this would change everything. She couldn't look away no matter how much she wanted now. All she could do was stare into his eyes. Subconsciously, her hands cupped around his face and softly stroked his cheek. "Damon…" She repeated, getting closer and closer.

Damon seemed to be a bit confused but the look of anticipation on his face was quite evident. He slowly began to lean in as well—but he wouldn't be the one to kiss her. She would have to come to him. He didn't want to make the move only to be rejected. He couldn't deal with that rejection again. And he wouldn't have to.

As soon as her lips touched his, he felt his body and mind explode. It was everything he had dreamed of and more. He decided now that she had made the move, he would be able to kiss her back. He would show her how much she meant to him. The kiss started off gentle, soft because they were experimenting with each other. Slowly, it because to get more passionate as they both took turns pushing each other. His hands went to her waist and pulled her tightly against him as they kissed while her arms wrapped around his neck, fingers tangled in his hair.

She was the one to pull away too—but for air. But that was enough time for her to realize what it was that she was doing. Oh, god. She had just made out with Damon Salvatore. Half of her was thrilled while the other half was shocked at herself. What about Stefan? She still loved Stefan. But she had denied this pull towards Damon for such a long time now. And now _she _had kissed _him_. She couldn't deny it anymore. She didn't know what she wanted anymore.

He was quiet but he didn't move. To be honest, Damon was still trying to convince himself this had actually happened. It was probably the best thing that had happened to him… Ever. He watched her carefully. He watched as she looked away from him and hoped that she wouldn't run away. He didn't want her to run away from him or her feelings that she had made so very obvious now.

"Damon… I… Sorry… I shouldn't have done that." She was apologizing now? Seriously? Why would she apologize?

"Elena, you know that I feel more than just… You don't have to apologize." Damon told her softly.

"I know." Even though she had already known that Damon had romantic feelings for her, it was different hearing him say it out loud. It sent flutter throughout her stomach. "That's not why…" She paused, glancing over at him before looking away. "I don't want to end up hurting you, Damon." She added in a whisper.

Damon laughed. It was a bitter laugh. He couldn't believe how quickly he went from soft to bitter. "It's a little late for that, Elena."

She almost looked hurt herself. But she looked more confused. "What… Are you talking about?"

"If your goal was to keep me from getting hurt, you failed. You failed long before this kiss." He told her.

"I knew… That you were hurt but how did _I _hurt you?"

Was she really that blind? He sighed, looking into her innocent, confused, and hurt eyes. "Nevermind." He said softly, getting off of the bed. She quickly took hold of his arm, refusing to let this go.

"No, Damon. Tell me. I don't want to hurt you." She said quietly.

"Elena… I… I love you, okay?" He surrendered. "That's why you hurt me. You don't do it intentionally, but loving you this much… It doesn't work out well for me." He smiled a little but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Damon…" Her mouth was dry. She had known that but yet she hadn't. It was strange hearing him say it but she couldn't help but feel like she had heard it before. Maybe that's how for some reason, she felt like she already knew this.

"You don't have to say anything, Elena." He assured her. "I know what you and Stefan have… And I know we'll only ever be friends. It's okay." He nodded, pulling out of her grip before walking into the bathroom to take a shower. "You can go next. We're going to tour Barcelona today." And just like that, the whole mood in the room seemed to shift.

Elena stood there, awestruck as he closed the bathroom door.

Slowly, her fingers went to her lips, remembering the lingering kiss they had just shared.

* * *

"So where are we going first?" Elena asked. Their intense conversation from earlier seemed to be forgotten on both their parts.

"We're going to stroll down La Rambla." Damon grinned at her, opening the taxi door for her before waving the driver off.

She looked around. "Isn't that…"

"One of the most famous boulevards in the world." He finished. "There's everything here. You'll have a lot of fun." He promised and began to lead her down the mile long journey. The street was so bright and colorful. It was filled with people but while it was busy, it was so serene at the same time. It was odd but Elena loved it.

As they walked, Elena subtly brushed her hand against Damon's. What was she doing? She didn't know. This seemed to be the same Elena that kissed Damon. The same Elena was now taking hold of Damon's hand.

Damon almost seemed to freeze at first. This is what confused him. This is what would hurt him like she had said. But yet, he didn't pull away or even do much to react. He was acting as if this was a second nature to him. As if they had been a couple for the longest time. He didn't want to—well, he kinda did—but he didn't want to be the rebound. Just because Stefan wasn't around didn't mean she was allowed to jump at him. But he couldn't bring himself to pull away because he loved her too much. He had to take what he could get and deal with the pain later. He would take what he got and turn off the rest later.

So they walked, fingers laced together, enjoying the view. There was a smile on Elena's face and it wouldn't fade away. Damon couldn't help but smile himself, seeing that smile. That beautiful smile on her beautiful face.

"Come on, let's get some breakfast." Damon said, spotting a café that interested him and pulling her towards it.

"Okay." Elena nodded, letting him lead them inside before picking out a table. They sat across from each other and while Elena looked around the café, Damon watched her and her reactions. He could seriously just watch her forever. When she caught him staring she narrowed her eyes and gave him a small smile. "Creep." She teased.

"Oh, come on, don't act like you don't enjoy it." Damon winked at her.

She grinned before the waiter walked over to their table and Damon placed an order for them.


End file.
